Wood vs the Cubs

I had a feeling that Friday would be a glorious day and I was right. The Cubs were in town. Alex Wood was pitching. Alex has been flawless this season with a 5-0 record, undefeated, with the lowest ERA in baseball. It wasn’t a giveaway day so it wasn’t a sellout. The attendance that day was 45,017 which in Dodger Stadium terms is not a sellout. The weather was cloudy and a mild 66 degrees at game time. That is my kind of perfect baseball weather. The traffic wasn’t as bad as Thursday. What else could I ask for?

Special handshakes all around BrandonChrisKlayton…who already has a perfect pitchKike rushing into the dugoutKenleyA good place to carry your gloveAustin Barnes was nice enough to sign for fansA new face…meet Yuki
It was nice to see Joc who is on 7 day concussion leave after a crash with Puig. He was hit by first Puig and then the wall. I would have been dead. He had a big abrasion across his forehead. Prayers for Joc and all the Dodgers on DL.

I thought it was a perfect time to go to the club to eat. The fare was a delicious crunchy chicken fried steak with spinach mashed potatoes, sage roasted potatoes, lamb bolognese, honey glazed black pepper roast, and an array of mouth watering salads. I had seconds.At the carving table was EddieWho was gracious enough to take a glamor shot selfie with me.
I hurried back to the field. I was afraid I would miss something.

Greg and sonDonna and Norma
We were all set for the game to begin.

Yasmani as usual made eye contact…maybe notA serious Kike Hernandez getting ready for an interview on SportsnetAnd they came out to stretch under a beautiful cloudy sky.And Alex Wood prepared for a huge game..one against the World Champion Chicago Cubs. This would be the true test. He was matched up with ace Jake Arrieta.National Anthem time. I was getting very excited.And here comes our pitching/catching battery with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt.I was preparedVery important to hydrateEspecially before you play catch with an MLB player. You go Amy!!The unps trying to figure out how to make the Dodgers miserable. The strike zone has been all over the place during this homestand. This game was no different. I thought Alex was going to start crying over one call which resulted in a 4th ball and a walk. It was definitely questionable.Preparing to pitch…make sure you have a good ballNext…make sure there is absolutely nothing in your hatMake sure you haven’t forgotten anythingEveryone ready?Warm up your pitching handMake sure home plate hasn’t moved since you checked lastAnd then you throw a strike.
The Cubs were out in order in the top of the 1st inning.

Corey found a chink in Arrierta’s armor with a single. He was left on base after Yasmani Grandal ground into a double play.
In the top of the 2nd inning, Baez singled which ruined any chance of a perfect game for Alex. Oh well. Baez was left on base. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Dodgers were out in order. It was starting to look like a pitcher’s duel which meant it would be a fast game. I knew I had to eat fast. I always have my priorities.

In the top of the 3rd inning, Kris Bryant walked but was caught stealing 2nd base. Oh well.

The momentum of the game was changed again by Chase Utley for the second game in a row with another homerun!! 1-0.

It seemed to unbalance Arrieta although he managed to induce 3 outs: a Puig fly out, a Wood strikeout and Logan out. The damage was done. In a pitcher’s duel, one run can make the difference in a game.I started seeing him as other than super man. I’ve always been in awe of him.
Alex continued his domination of the Cubs in the 4th inning with the Cubs out in order.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, Corey walked

In close games, these walks are very important. The batters have to show so much patience and discipline not to swing at everything.The walk paid off when Yasmani doubled scoring Corey 2-0. I would like to thank all those people in the front row who stood up to block my view and to the children’s parents who gave them those #@%^ flags to wave in front of my camera.
In the top of the 5th inning, Addison Russell walked after being hit by a pitch but was left on base. Alex was starting to look almost unhittable. In the bottom of the 5th inning, the Dodgers were out in order with Brett Eibner pinch hitting for Alex. I was surprised that he was already taken out of the game. Pedro Baez replaced him. I knew the game would become slower.

In the top of the 6th inning Ben Zobrist walked but then there were 3 outs: Kris Bryant grounding out, Anthony Rizzo grounding out, and Ian Happ lining out to left field. I sighed with relief. I need to trust Baez more.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Corey hit a single to right field.Adrian then hit a 2 run homerun scoring Corey. 4-0. The Dodgers sealed the deal with that hit.
In the top of the 7th inning the Cubs were out in order. Pedro Baez was totally surprising me with his pitching.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, there was a lot of action with Chase getting hit by a pitch

I have never seen anyone look so happy after getting hit by a pitch. Leave it to Chase. He then stole 2nd but Kike struck out ending the inning.In the top of the 8th inning, Chris Hatcher replaced Baez. The Cubs were out in order.In the bottom of the 8th inning, Logan Forsythe walked.Yasmani walkedBut Adrian ground into a double play ending the inning.It’s always interesting to see everyone’s expressions in the dugout. Kenta Maeda thinks something is really funny.With Chris Hatcher still pitching, the Cubs were out in order in the bottom of the 9th inning. Final score 4-0. We were all happy. Well actually it seemed that half the stadium was. There were so many loud Cubs fans. Where did they all come from?Most of the dugout took a shortcut to the fieldHow satisfying for us Dodger fans to see this win over the World Champion Cubs. Alex Wood accumulated 8 strikeouts over 5 innings, improving his wins to 6-0, and his scoreless streak to 25 1/3 innings. Chase hit his 2nd homerun in as many days.
It was a good day.

So happy to see Yoshiko and Doug again. That was also exciting.
On Saturday Brandon McCarthy 4-1 ERA 3.76 faces John Lackey 4-4 ERA 4.82. Brandon has been stellar this season. I will definitely be wearing his jersey. Saturday’s game will start at 4:15 which means I might possibly be going home while it’s still light. It’s been a long homestand.

Thanks everyone for your support. I write this blog so everyone can experience the games with me. The Dodgers are like family to me so I bleed blue with them. I’m hoping for a series win if not a sweep against the Cubs. GO DODGERS!!!